The name alone strikes fear in the hearts of all cats. You, of course, will NOT launch cats. Your projectiles of choice are the foul apples of fall and the mouldy oranges found in the far recesses of the vegetable crisper. Maybe even trap-squished mice that you don’t know how to dispose of. I won’t go on about the dos and dont’s of Detritus (the Roman god of garbage), but what it’s acceptable to hurl over your fence is a standard to which only you are privy. (Don’t hurl stuff from the privy.)
You will need a good length of hockey stick (the longer and more flexible, the farther the delivery), a length of two-by-four for the base, some wood scraps, a couple of eye hooks, some strong cord and a nail for the release mechanism, an old kitchen strainer, and some hockey tape.
To start, you might consider a taper cut along the length of the stick to give it more spring. From about the middle of the stick, draw a line along the broad side towards one end, aiming for about a 1/4" width at the tip. Cut carefully along this line. The most important part of this project is the base. It must hold the end of the stick firmly, and it is subject to the greatest stress. See my diagram for bracing, but if you have a better idea, go for it.
For the basket to hold the payload, strap an old hand-held kitchen strainer to the stick with hockey tape. Traditionally, catapults were mounted on wagons, and adding a wheel assembly to your catapult could intimidate adversaries and get a nod of admiration from peers. The catapult of old also had a winding device to bend it, with a ratchet to hold the tension. Since you are not storming castles, however, you can simply bend yours down and hook it on to the trigger device made of eye hooks and a nail. Drive the eye hooks into the base about 2" apart. Tie one end of the cord to the business end of the catapult, and tie the nail to the other end of the cord, which has been cut just long enough to create sufficient tension for a good launch. Slip the nail through the eye hooks so it’s ready to be yanked out when you yell, “Ready! Aim! Fire!” This puppy whips up pretty fast, so pay attention when using it. Keep the small kids away, and don’t hurl heavy objects in an unsafe manner. The use of this catapult is an outdoor activity.
